System and method for providing information synchronized to a playlist

• US 7,787,058 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weather Group Television, LLC (CF Entertainment, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The Weather Channel Incorporated (CF Entertainment, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ford, Donald Gary, Smereski, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US11/066,029
• Time in Patent Office: 2,013 Days
• Field of Search: 715/32, 715/704, 715/708, 715/716, 715/723, 725/17, 725/19, 725/20, 725/22, 725/32, 725/36, 725/37, 725/38, 725/50, 725/58, 725/115, 725/116, 725/117, 725/136, 725/144, 725/145, 725/146, 725/152, 725/9, 345/594, 345/601, 345/602, 348/138, 348/460, 348/722
• US Class Current: 348/722
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects

Abstract

Information is provided to on-air personnel that is synchronized to a playlist executed by a broadcast automation system. A type is defined within a broadcast automation system and is associated with studio segments and non-studio segments that follow studio segments in a playlist. As the playlist is executed, the broadcast automation system provides a count until the next segment with the specified type. The count is monitored and if the count matches a predetermined value, then a trigger is generated based on the predetermined value and the playlist. Each trigger is associated with a particular action, such as the display of a message on certain display units. Once the trigger is generated, the action is performed. The invention can be used to automatically provide countdown information to on-camera personnel based on the playlist.

Claims

1. A method for providing information during a live broadcast, comprising:

as a playlist is executing on a live, broadcast automation system, monitoring a count associated with the playlist using a scheduling system external to the broadcast automation system,

wherein the playlist includes a plurality of segments that comprise the live broadcast and a first marker is associated with a first segment and wherein the count represents a time until the start of the first segment;

determining by the live, broadcast automation system whether the count matches a predetermined value during the live broadcast and generating a trigger to a General Purpose Interface (GPI);

if the count matches the predetermined value, then based on the playlist and the predetermined value,

determining, at a display controller, content of the information received from the GPI, and identifying at least one display unit from a plurality of display units,

wherein, during a segment that precedes the first segment, the content graphically conveys a number of seconds until the first segment based on the count; and

providing the content to the at least one display unit for display to a person on-camera during the live broadcast.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring a count is performed every frame, further comprising changing the content as the count changes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the content indicates the number of seconds until a start of a studio segment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content indicates the number of seconds until a start of a non-studio segment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining content of the information and identifying at least one display unit comprises:

activating a trigger;

transmitting the trigger as serial information;

receiving the trigger and using the trigger to determine the number of seconds to the first segment and the at least one display unit from the plurality of display units.

6. A system for providing information, comprising:

a live broadcast automation system for executing a playlist of segments the comprise a live broadcast, the playlist including a first marker associated with a first segment, and for providing a count in a preceding segment during the live broadcast until the first segment while the playlist is executing, wherein the first marker corresponds to a transition between the preceding segment and the first segment wherein one segment is a non-studio segment and one segment is a studio segment;

an external monitoring system interfacing with the live broadcast automation system;

for monitoring the count produced by the live broadcast automation system during the live broadcast until a start of the first segment, for determining when the count until the first segment equals a predetermined value, for generating a first GPI (general purpose interface) trigger when the count until the first segment equals the predetermined value, and for transmitting the first GPI trigger to a display system as serial information, wherein the first GPI trigger is selected based on the playlist and the predetermined value; and

the display system interfacing with the external monitoring system for receiving the first GPI trigger during the live broadcast, for determining information content and display devices associated with the first GPI trigger, and for providing the information content to the display devices, wherein the information content graphically conveys a number of seconds until a start of the first segment, to a person on-camera.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the information content indicates the number of seconds until a studio segment begins.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the information content indicates the number of seconds until a non-studio segment begins.

9. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a manual user interface interfacing with the external monitoring system for generating a second GPI trigger, wherein the display system is further operable for receiving the second GPI trigger, determining information content and display devices associated with the second GPI trigger and providing the information content associated with the second GPI trigger to the display devices associated with the second GPI trigger.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the external monitoring system is further operable for monitoring a count until a second segment in a second playlist, wherein the second segment is associated with a second marker, for determining when the count until the second segment equals the predetermined value, and for generating a second GPI trigger when the count until the second segment equals the predetermined value.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the display system is further operable for receiving the second GPI trigger, for determining second information content and at least a one display device associated with the second GPI trigger, and for providing the second information content to the display devices associated with the second GPI trigger, wherein the second information content conveys a text message to the person on-camera.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the display devices associated with the second GPI trigger are distinct from the display devices associated with the first GPI trigger.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein the external monitoring system is further operable for monitoring a count until a second segment in the playlist, wherein the second segment is associated with a second marker, for determining when the count until the second segment equals the predetermined value, and for generating a second GPI trigger when the count until the second segment equals the predetermined value.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the display system is further operable for receiving the second GPI trigger, for determining second information content and display devices associated with the second GPI trigger, and for providing the second information content associated with the second GPI trigger to the display devices associated with the second GPI trigger.

15. A method for generating a time-based trigger, comprising:

monitoring, at a scheduling system, a count associated with a playlist and produced by a live broadcast automation system during a live broadcast, wherein the playlist includes a series of segments that comprise the live broadcast, a first marker is associated with a first segment, and a second marker is associated with a second segment, wherein the first segment is a studio segment following a non-studio segment and the second segment is a second non-studio segment following the studio segment, wherein the count represents a time until a start of a next segment associated with a marker;

determining, by the live broadcast automation system, whether the count matches a predetermined value during the live broadcast; and

if the count matches the predetermined value, then based on the playlist and the predetermined value, generating the trigger to a General Purpose Interface (GPI), wherein the trigger defines graphical timing information based on the count and identifies at least one of a plurality of display units controlled by a display controller to provide the graphical timing information to a person on-camera during the live broadcast during a segment the precedes the first segment or the second segment, and wherein the graphical timing information conveys a number of seconds until the start of either the first segment or the second segment.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether the count matches a predetermined value comprises:

determining whether the count matches a first predetermined value; and

if the count matches the first predetermined value, then determining that the graphical timing information is a first countdown display.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

continuing to monitor the count;

determining whether the count matches a second predetermined value; and

if the count matches the second predetermined value, then determining that the graphical timing information is a second countdown display, wherein the second countdown display represents the second predetermined value regardless of time elapsed since the first predetermined value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first countdown display includes two objects a first distance apart and the second countdown display includes the two objects a second distance apart, wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.